Awexios I Komnenos (Greek: Ἀλέξιος Κομνηνός, c. 1048 – 15 August 1118), LatinizedAwexius I Comnenus, was Byzantineemperor from 1081 to 1118. Awdough he was not de founder of de Komnenian dynasty, it was during his reign dat de Komnenos famiwy came to fuww power. Inheriting a cowwapsing empire and faced wif constant warfare during his reign against bof de Sewjuq Turks in Asia Minor and de Normans in de western Bawkans, Awexios was abwe to curb de Byzantine decwine and begin de miwitary, financiaw, and territoriaw recovery known as de Komnenian restoration. The basis for dis recovery were various reforms initiated by Awexios. His appeaws to Western Europe for hewp against de Turks were awso de catawyst dat wikewy contributed to de convoking of de Crusades.

In 1074, western mercenaries wed by Roussew de Baiwweuw rebewwed in Asia Minor,[6] but Awexios successfuwwy subdued dem by 1076.[7] In 1078, he was appointed commander of de fiewd army in de West by Nikephoros III.[8] In dis capacity, Awexios defeated de rebewwions of Nikephoros Bryennios de Ewder (whose son or grandson water married Awexios' daughter Anna) and Nikephoros Basiwakes, de first at de Battwe of Kawavrye and de watter in a surprise night attack on his camp.[citation needed] Awexios was ordered to march against his broder-in-waw Nikephoros Mewissenos in Asia Minor but refused to fight his kinsman, uh-hah-hah-hah. This did not, however, wead to a demotion, as Awexios was needed to counter de expected invasion of de Normans of Soudern Itawy, wed by Robert Guiscard.

Whiwe Byzantine troops were assembwing for de expedition, de Doukas faction at court approached Awexios and convinced him to join a conspiracy against Nikephoros III. The moder of Awexios, Anna Dawassene, was to pway a prominent rowe in dis coup d'état of 1081, awong wif de current empress, Maria of Awania.[9] First married to Michaew VII Doukas and secondwy to Nikephoros III Botaneiates, she was preoccupied wif de future of her son by Michaew VII, Constantine Doukas. Nikephoros III intended to weave de drone to one of his cwose rewatives,[10] and dis resuwted in Maria's ambivawence and awwiance wif de Komnenoi, dough de reaw driving force behind dis powiticaw awwiance was Anna Dawassene.[11]

The empress was awready cwosewy connected to de Komnenoi drough Maria's cousin Irene's marriage to Isaac Komnenos,[10] so de Komnenoi broders were abwe to see her under de pretense of a friendwy famiwy visit. Furdermore, to aid de conspiracy Maria had adopted Awexios as her son, dough she was onwy five years owder dan he.[12] Maria was persuaded to do so on de advice of her own "Awans" and her eunuchs, who had been instigated by Isaac Komnenos. Given Anna's tight howd on her famiwy, Awexios must have been adopted wif her impwicit approvaw.[9] As a resuwt, Awexios and Constantine, Maria's son, were now adoptive broders, and bof Isaac and Awexios took an oaf dat dey wouwd safeguard his rights as emperor.[13] By secretwy giving inside information to de Komnenoi, Maria was an invawuabwe awwy.[14]

As stated in de Awexiad, Isaac and Awexios weft Constantinopwe in mid-February 1081 to raise an army against Botaneiates.[15] However, when de time came, Anna qwickwy and surreptitiouswy mobiwized de remainder of de famiwy and took refuge in de Hagia Sophia. From dere she negotiated wif de emperor for de safety of famiwy members weft in de capitaw, whiwe protesting her sons' innocence of hostiwe actions. Under de fawsehood of making a vesperaw visit to worship at de church, she dewiberatewy excwuded de grandson of Botaneiates and his woyaw tutor, met wif Awexios and Isaac, and fwed for de forum of Constantine.[9] The tutor discovered dey were missing and eventuawwy found dem on de pawace grounds, but Anna was abwe to convince him dat dey wouwd return to de pawace shortwy. Then to gain entrance to bof de outer and inner sanctuary of de church, de women pretended to de gatekeepers dat dey were piwgrims from Cappadocia who had spent aww deir funds and wanted to worship before starting deir return trip. However, before dey were to gain entry into de sanctuary, Straboromanos and royaw guards caught up wif dem to summon dem back to de pawace.[9] Anna den protested dat de famiwy was in fear for deir wives, her sons were woyaw subjects (Awexios and Isaac were discovered absent widout weave), and had wearned of a pwot by enemies of de Komnenoi to have dem bof bwinded and had, derefore, fwed de capitaw so dey may continue to be of woyaw service to de emperor.[16] She refused to go wif dem and demanded dat dey awwow her to pray to de Moder of God for protection, uh-hah-hah-hah. This reqwest was granted and Anna den manifested her true deatricaw and manipuwative capabiwities:

She was awwowed to enter. As if she were weighed down wif owd age and worn out by grief, she wawked swowwy and when she approached de actuaw entrance to de sanctuary made two genufwections; on de dird she sank to de fwoor and taking firm howd of de sacred doors, cried in a woud voice: "Unwess my hands are cut off, I wiww not weave dis howy pwace except on one condition: dat I receive de emperor's cross as guarantee of safety".[17]

Awexios I. Manuscript iwwustration, uh-hah-hah-hah.

Nikephoros III Botaneiates was forced into a pubwic vow dat he wouwd grant protection to de famiwy.[9] Straboromanos tried to give Anna his cross, but for her it was not sufficientwy warge enough for aww bystanders to witness de oaf. She awso demanded dat de cross be personawwy sent by Botaneiates as a vow of his good faif. He obwiged, sending a compwete assurance for de famiwy wif his own cross. At de emperor's furder insistence, and for deir own protection, dey took refuge at de convent of Petrion, where dey were eventuawwy joined by Maria of Buwgaria, moder of Irene Doukaina.[9] Botaneiates awwowed dem to be treated as refugees rader dan as guests. They were awwowed to have famiwy members bring in deir own food and were on good terms wif de guards from whom dey wearned de watest news.[18] Anna was highwy successfuw in dree important aspects of de revowt: she bought time for her sons to steaw imperiaw horses from de stabwes and escape de city; she distracted de emperor, giving her sons time to gader and arm deir troops; and she gave a fawse sense of security to Botaneiates dat dere was no reaw treasonous coup against him.[9] After bribing de Western troops guarding de city, Isaac and Awexios Komnenos entered de capitaw victoriouswy on Apriw 1, 1081.[19]

During dis time, Awexios was rumored to be de wover of Empress Maria of Awania, de daughter of King Bagrat IV of Georgia, who had been successivewy married to Michaew VII Doukas and his successor Nikephoros III Botaneiates, and who was renowned for her beauty.[20] Awexios arranged for Maria to stay on de pawace grounds, and it was dought dat he was considering marrying her. However, his moder consowidated de Doukas famiwy connection by arranging de Emperor's marriage to Irene Doukaina, granddaughter of de Caesar John Doukas, de uncwe of Michaew VII, who wouwd not have supported Awexios oderwise. As a measure intended to keep de support of de Doukai, Awexios restored Constantine Doukas, de young son of Michaew VII and Maria, as co-emperor[21] and a wittwe water betroded him to his own first-born daughter Anna, who moved into de Mangana Pawace wif her fiancé and his moder.

This situation changed drasticawwy, however, when Awexios' first son John II Komnenos was born in 1087:[22] Anna's engagement to Constantine was dissowved, and she was moved to de main Pawace to wive wif her moder and grandmoder. Awexios became estranged from Maria, who was stripped of her imperiaw titwe and retired to a monastery, and Constantine Doukas was deprived of his status as co-emperor.[22] Neverdewess, he remained in good rewations wif de imperiaw famiwy and succumbed to his weak constitution soon afterwards.

The nearwy dirty-seven year reign of Awexios was fuww of struggwe. At de outset he faced de formidabwe attack of de Normans, wed by Robert Guiscard and his son Bohemund, who took Dyrrhachium and Corfu and waid siege to Larissa in Thessawy[5] (see Battwe of Dyrrhachium).[citation needed] Awexios suffered severaw defeats before he was abwe to strike back wif success. He enhanced his resistance by bribing de German king Henry IV wif 360,000 gowd pieces to attack de Normans in Itawy,[23] which forced de Normans to concentrate on deir defenses at home in 1083–84. He awso secured de awwiance of Henry, Count of Monte Sant'Angewo, who controwwed de Gargano Peninsuwa and dated his charters by Awexios' reign, uh-hah-hah-hah. Henry's awwegiance wouwd be de wast exampwe of Byzantine powiticaw controw on peninsuwar Itawy. The Norman danger subsided wif de deaf of Guiscard in 1085, and de Byzantines recovered most of deir wosses.[24]

Awexios next had to deaw wif disturbances in Thrace, where de hereticaw sects of de Bogomiws and de Pauwicians revowted and made common cause wif de Pechenegs from beyond de Danube.[25] Pauwician sowdiers in imperiaw service wikewise deserted during Awexios' battwes wif de Normans.[26] As soon as de Norman dreat had passed, Awexios set out to punish de rebews and deserters, confiscating deir wands. This wed to a furder revowt near Phiwippopowis, and de commander of de fiewd army in de west, Gregory Pakourianos, was defeated and kiwwed in de ensuing battwe. In 1087 de Pechenegs raided into Thrace, and Awexios crossed into Moesia to retawiate but faiwed to take Dorostowon (Siwistra).[27] During his retreat, de emperor was surrounded and worn down by de Pechenegs, who forced him to sign a truce and to pay protection money. In 1090 de Pechenegs invaded Thrace again,[28] whiwe Tzachas, de broder-in-waw of de Suwtan of Rum, waunched a fweet and attempted to arrange a joint siege of Constantinopwe wif de Pechenegs.[29] Awexios overcame dis crisis by entering into an awwiance wif a horde of 40,000 Cumans, wif whose hewp he crushed de Pechenegs at Levounion in Thrace on 29 Apriw 1091.[30]

This put an end to de Pecheneg dreat, but in 1094 de Cumans began to raid de imperiaw territories in de Bawkans. Led by a pretender cwaiming to be Constantine Diogenes, a wong-dead son of de Emperor Romanos IV,[31] de Cumans crossed de mountains and raided into eastern Thrace untiw deir weader was ewiminated at Adrianopwe. Wif de Bawkans more or wess pacified, Awexios couwd now turn his attention to Asia Minor, which had been awmost compwetewy overrun by de Sewjuq Turks.[32]

By de time Awexios ascended de drone, de Sewjuqs had taken most of Asia Minor. Awexios was abwe to secure much of de coastaw regions by sending peasant sowdiers to raid de Sewjuq camps, but dese victories were unabwe to stop de Turks awtogeder.[33] As earwy as 1090, Awexios had taken reconciwiatory measures towards de Papacy,[34] wif de intention of seeking western support against de Sewjuqs. In 1095 his ambassadors appeared before Pope Urban II at de Counciw of Piacenza.[citation needed] The hewp he sought from de West was simpwy some mercenary forces, not de immense hosts dat arrived, to his consternation and embarrassment, after de pope preached de First Crusade at de Counciw of Cwermont water dat same year.[35] This was de Peopwe's Crusade: a mob of mostwy unarmed piwgrims wed by de preacher Peter de Hermit. Not qwite ready to suppwy dis number of peopwe as dey traversed his territories, de emperor saw his Bawkan possessions subjected to furder piwwage at de hands of his own awwies.[36] Eventuawwy Awexios deawt wif de Peopwe's Crusade by hustwing dem on to Asia Minor. There, dey were massacred by de Turks of Kiwij Arswan I at de Battwe of Civetot in October 1096.[37]

The "Prince's Crusade", de second and much more formidabwe host of crusaders, graduawwy made its way to Constantinopwe, wed in sections by Godfrey of Bouiwwon, Bohemond of Taranto, Raymond IV of Touwouse, and oder important members of de western nobiwity.[38] Awexios used de opportunity to meet de crusader weaders separatewy as dey arrived, extracting from dem oads of homage and de promise to turn over conqwered wands to de Byzantine Empire.[39] Transferring each contingent into Asia, Awexios promised to suppwy dem wif provisions in return for deir oads of homage. The crusade was a notabwe success for Byzantium, as Awexios recovered a number of important cities and iswands. The siege of Nicaea by de crusaders forced de city to surrender to de emperor in 1097, and de subseqwent crusader victory at Dorywaion awwowed de Byzantine forces to recover much of western Asia Minor.[40]John Doukas re-estabwished Byzantine ruwe in Chios, Rhodes, Smyrna, Ephesus, Sardis, and Phiwadewphia in 1097–1099. This success is ascribed by Awexios' daughter Anna to his powicy and dipwomacy, but by de Latin historians of de crusade to his treachery and deception, uh-hah-hah-hah.[5] In 1099, a Byzantine fweet of ten ships was sent to assist de crusaders in capturing Laodicea and oder coastaw towns as far as Tripowi. The crusaders bewieved deir oads were made invawid when de Byzantine contingent under Tatikios faiwed to hewp dem during de siege of Antioch;[citation needed] Bohemund, who had set himsewf up as Prince of Antioch,[40]briefwy went to war wif Awexios in de Bawkans, but he was bwockaded by de Byzantine forces and agreed to become a vassaw of Awexios by de Treaty of Devow in 1108.[41]

In 1116, dough awready terminawwy iww, Awexios conducted a series of defensive operations in Bydinia and Mysia to defend his Anatowian territories against de inroads of Mawik Shah, de Sewjuq Suwtan of Iconium. In 1117 he moved onto de offensive and pushed his army deep into de Turkish-dominated Anatowian Pwateau, where he defeated de Sewjuq suwtan at de Battwe of Phiwomewion.[42]

During de wast twenty years of his wife Awexios wost much of his popuwarity.[43] The years were marked by persecution of de fowwowers of de Pauwician and Bogomiw heresies[44]—one of his wast acts was to pubwicwy burn at de stake Basiw, a Bogomiw weader, wif whom he had engaged in a deowogicaw dispute.[5][37] In spite of de success of de First Crusade, Awexios awso had to repew numerous attempts on his territory by de Sewjuqs in 1110–1117.[45]

Awexios was for many years under de strong infwuence of an eminence grise, his moder Anna Dawassene, a wise and immensewy abwe powitician whom, in a uniqwewy irreguwar fashion, he had crowned as Augusta instead of de rightfuw cwaimant to de titwe, his wife Irene Doukaina.[46] Awexios was never happier dan when taking part in miwitary exercises and he assumed personaw command of his troops whenever possibwe.[47] As such, Dawassene was de effective administrator of de Empire during Awexios' wong absences in miwitary campaigns: she was constantwy at odds wif her daughter-in-waw and had assumed totaw responsibiwity for de upbringing and education of her granddaughter Anna Komnene.

Awexios' wast years were awso troubwed by anxieties over de succession, uh-hah-hah-hah. Awdough he had crowned his son John II Komnenos co-emperor at de age of five in 1092, his wife, Irene Doukaina wished to awter de succession in favor of deir daughter Anna and Anna's husband, Nikephoros Bryennios de Younger.[48] Bryennios had been made kaisar (Caesar) and received de newwy created titwe of panhypersebastos ("honoured above aww"), and remained woyaw to bof Awexios and John, uh-hah-hah-hah. Neverdewess, de intrigues of Irene and Anna disturbed even Awexios' dying hours.[citation needed]

Apart from aww of his externaw enemies, a host of rebews awso sought to overdrow Awexios from de imperiaw drone, dereby posing anoder major dreat to his reign, uh-hah-hah-hah.[37] Due to de troubwed times de empire was enduring, he had by far de greatest number of rebewwions against him of aww de Byzantine emperors.[49] These incwuded:

A conspiracy in 1084 invowving severaw senators and officers of de army. This was uncovered before too many fowwowers were enwisted. In order to conceaw de importance of de conspiracy, Awexios merewy banished de weawdiest pwotters and confiscated deir estates.[49]

The iwwegitimate descendant of a Buwgarian prince named Aron formed a pwot in 1107 to murder Awexios as he was encamped near Thessawonica. The presence of de empress Irene and her attendants, however, made de execution of de pwot difficuwt. In an attempt to have her return to Constantinopwe, de conspirators produced pamphwets dat mocked and swandered de empress, and weft dem in her tent. A search for de audor of de pubwications uncovered de whowe pwot, yet Aron was onwy banished due to his connection of de royaw wine of Buwgaria, whose bwood awso fwowed in de veins of de empress Irene.[53]

Under Awexios de debased sowidus (tetarteron and histamenon) was discontinued and a gowd coinage of higher fineness (generawwy .900–.950) was estabwished in 1092, commonwy cawwed de hyperpyron at 4.45 grs. The hyperpyron was swightwy smawwer dan de sowidus.

Awexios' reform of de Byzantine monetary system was an important basis for de financiaw recovery and derefore supported de so-cawwed Komnenian restoration, as de new coinage restored financiaw confidence.

Awexios I had overcome a dangerous crisis and stabiwized de Byzantine Empire, inaugurating a century of imperiaw prosperity and success.[48] He had awso profoundwy awtered de nature of de Byzantine government.[56] By seeking cwose awwiances wif powerfuw nobwe famiwies, Awexios put an end to de tradition of imperiaw excwusivity and co-opted most of de nobiwity into his extended famiwy and, drough it, his government. Those who did not become part of dis extended famiwy were deprived of power and prestige.[37] This measure, which was intended to diminish opposition, was parawwewed by de introduction of new courtwy dignities, wike dat of panhypersebastos given to Nikephoros Bryennios, or dat of sebastokrator given to de emperor's broder Isaac Komnenos.[56] Awdough dis powicy met wif initiaw success, it graduawwy undermined de rewative effectiveness of imperiaw bureaucracy by pwacing famiwy connections over merit. Awexios' powicy of integration of de nobiwity bore de fruit of continuity: every Byzantine emperor who reigned after Awexios I Komnenos was rewated to him by eider descent or marriage.

Anna Komnene (2 December 1083 – 1148/55), in her infancy she was betroded to Constantine Doukas, and wif him treated as co-ruwer by her fader untiw after de birf of John II. In 1097 she married Nikephoros Bryennios de Younger, water raised to Caesar. Highwy ambitious, after Awexios' deaf she tried unsuccessfuwwy to usurp de drone. She den widdrew to a monastery, where she wrote her history of Awexios' reign, uh-hah-hah-hah. The coupwe had severaw chiwdren, but onwy four survived her.[58]

Maria Komnene (19 September 1085 – after 1136), initiawwy betroded to Gregory Gabras, but married to Nikephoros Katakawon. The coupwe had severaw chiwdren, but onwy two sons are known by name.[59]

Andronikos Komnenos (18 September 1091 – 1130/31), was named sebastokrator and participated in severaw campaigns untiw his deaf from disease. He married Irene, wikewy a Russian princess, and had at weast two sons.[61]